AllStars
by hi-way
Summary: What does it take to be the best? Saitama is turning the tide and Project D is taking on new grounds... What will happen? Note: More 'evolved' chapters are from three onwards.
1. Chapter 1: Prep

All-Stars

By hi-way

Chapter 1- Prep

It seems like the battles would never stop.  
That eveytime, you'll need to push the limit.  
It's the turn of the tide.  
As one rests, the other one awakens.  
But as one slumbers, love watches over.  
As the other awakens, the one finds romance.

* * *

It's been a week since Project D battled in Tsuchisaka. Keisuke's been fixing his FD and Takumi is rooting back to Akina to practice.

But…

Another team has been working too…

A silver Altezza parked outside the café at Saitama.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"Hi, Nobuhiko. Take a seat." Akiyama said in a friendly tone. "Where's Sakamoto? Still toiling downhill?" Nobuhiko said sarcastically. "Yeah. He'll be done in a while. After all, he's racing down like a maniac again." He chuckled.

"Let's get down to business. We **are **the Saitama Alliance." Nobuhiko said firmly. "Yeah. So?"

"We'll be trying to equal Project D. Racing down every mountain they passed, breaking every record they set. Then we'll call a rematch but this time, we'll win."

Nobuhiko grinned and Akiyama was silent.

"I'm interested. But… who'll tune our cars?" He said grinning.

"For the meanwhile, I'll tune them. I'll tune them tonight. After tonight, I'll call a race against the Night Kids."

"Night Kids? The guys from Myogi? I hear there uphill specialist is crazy!" Akiyama said in a surprise.

_Ring!_ Tsukamoto entered the café.

"Come here and listen. Ask more questions later. I have a plan for that. Don't worry. Tsukamoto, Akiyama. Run uphill and downhill together. Akiyama on chase. It's an… exercise. Finish by 30 minutes. I need to tune your cars." Nobuhiko seemed to be in a rush.

_Ring! _He exited the café.

"What's his problem?" Sakamoto asked in a confusion.

"I'll fill you in… Then let's race. I'm looking forward to what Nobuhiko is planning. Just watch out, Japan. Saitama Alliance is coming."

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2: Start of the Season

Chapter 2- "Start of the Season"

_Vroom!_

The black GT-R was blocking the narrow path and the red compact was on chase.

"_I have to remember what Nobuhiko said." _Sakamoto remembered.

"_I'll have the chance that grip is better. My GT-R will beat him to a pulp. What a bunch of arrogant guys." _Nakazato thought.

Both kept a steady pace considering that Nakazato slows to a slower speed at corners then zooms in on straights while Sakamoto drove at an insane constant of slightly higher corner speeds and slower straight speeds. The narrow road was insane! The only way he can take lead is either by a wide corner or an impossible miracle

The dark night hit Sakamoto with a great idea.

A chicane was coming up. One with enough space to give him the lead **if **his plan works.

Break. Turn. Downshift. Gas. **Switch.**

Nakazato was in complete panic. One moment the Suzuki was taking the corner then the next moment he disappeared.

Well… The next view he had of Sakamoto was beside him.

Unfortunately, Sakamoto wasn't out of the woods yet. The GT-R and Cappuccino were neck to neck. He saw up ahead that the last hairpin to the right before the stretch home would be his only chance of winning.

"_I can't lose the first race. It's Saitama's honor on the line."_

Both racers seemed rocked and locked on the race.

The handicap seemed to be on Sakamoto. He was on the inside line and the corner was wide enough for Nakazato to take an early accel out on the apex.

The All-Stars genius suddenly struck him again.

Sakamoto turned left! He was using feint motion to get a good rhythm. Plus luckily, Nakazato seemed surprised at the attack. The motion gave him a perfect rhythm to glue on the inside line and block the middle and outside line on the exit.

Absolutely perfect. Saitama Alliance now owns Myogi downhill and Sakamoto was getting better. One step closer to beating Project D.

How about Akiyama? He beat Keisuke's time by milliseconds. The race against the blood red Civic and the "difficult" hometown condition would prove perilous. Otherwise… Well… You find out for yourself.

I'll be down the track not long now…


	3. Chapter 3: Still There

Chapter 3- "Still there"

_Vroom!_

An 86 and a Civic raced up the rugged mountain trail. One thing though…

Their left hand is taped on the wheel!

"_Damn, is this what they meant by 'home regulations'? Sakamoto and Nobuhiko are better off. Argh!_" Wataru seemed pissed off.

"_Me on front. Tape on wheel. Small fry on chase. What an utter waste of my time. Hehehe." _ Shingo arrogantly thought.

What a handicap. Slower corner speeds, twisted turns and a _home _advantage.

Neither racer could move an inch.

* * *

"So… Kyoko… I haven't thanked you fully for the time you helped me."

"No, Keisuke. It's really ok. I'm so happy that you won!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

"So… Let me make you happier!"

"Umm… What're you saying?"

"Why don't you guess?"

"Maybe letting me win a race?"

"No way!"

"Fine. What is it?"

"A date."

"Really? Where!"

"Anywhere you like."

"How you could you when you don't have a car?"

"Hey! I do have a car. It's a hell better than yours."

"At least mine's not broken."

"You'll see! I'll give you the ride of your life."

"On a bucket of bolts? Heehee."

"Keisuke… Come here for a while and drop the phone." Ryosuke called.

"Why?" Keisuke seemed curious.

"Just do it."

"Later, Kyoko. I'll call you back."

"Sure, Keisuke-san! Hugs and kisses."

"Bye."

_Drop._

Keisuke entered the room without a clue in the world.

"What is it? Hey, where are you? Darn, it's dark."

_Flick._

"Whoa…"

* * *

The white 86 took over the EG6 in a heartbeat. How?

Akiyama took advantage of the car. He made it oversteer so that he won't loose too much speed. But as usual, Shingo tried to steer off Wataru and tried to ram him into hitting the wall but Akiyama drove too fast to leave equal spaces.Karma, he hit the wall and now has a dent on his bumper.

Akiyama exited the car, sweating and with a bleak expression.

"First victory." He suddenly said with a smile.

"Nice work. Saitama now owns Myogi. Now let's go to a café and eat. My treat." Nobuhiko said as if he were the father figure of the group.

"Smartest thing you said all day, chief." Sakamoto joked.

One down. It's very comforting after the most exhilarating race in their lives ended in a loss, a bittersweet flashback.

* * *

Keisuke was speechless.

The body was gorgeous. RE Amemiya hood, spoiler and wheels. Mazdaspeed sideskirts, front and rear bumper and wheels. Custom mirror and muffler and brand new internals and better weight differential. It could make any rotary lover drool and hug the car.

After a very long and blissful silence, he finally thought, "I've gotta drive my FD." It's the most beautiful and well-tuned rotary I could see on Akagi, it'll probably literally burn the pavement. It'll be the most fun experience of a racer, a driver and his car.

* * *

Sakamoto's POV:

Damn. Everything I'm thinking is a flashback. They hit me so bad. It was like… I don't know! Good because of the thrill, bad because of the loss. I wanted to become number one so badly… Even using the blind attack was bittersweet since I remembered that cold, blinding night.

Akiyama's POV:

I finally won again after a really long time. Just proves that my overhauled Levin still works goodly. I think it needs to be tuned though, but, darn, I want to race downhill again so badly.

Nobuhiko's POV:

Excellent. We're taking Japan one step at a time. But, the two still have a long way to go and so do I. Time to go to the next level, time to make a call.

"Umm… Hey, why are we so quiet?" Sakamoto said.

"Yeah. Isn't this supposed to be a celebration?" Wataru said.

"You guys are too uptight, loosen up! Because the day after tomorrow, you'll be going out again." Nobuhiko declared.

* * *

"_I didn't time my run. It felt so faster this time. I'll be beating Takumi this time. After another difficult race, I'll beat him. I will."_

"Crap! I forgot my date with Kyoko!"

* * *

"_What's a mountain that we haven't raced yet?" _Ryosuke thought while looking at a map.

Fuhimiro entered the garage and said, "I'm guessing Keisuke is going insanely fast on uphill after he did downhill?"

"Duh." Ryosuke sarcastically said.

"Hehehe. As usual. By the way, I found a place we haven't hit yet."

"Hit me."

Fuhimiro pointed a spot on the map and said the name of the next destination, "Hakone."

* * *

**End of Chapter 3**


	4. Chapter 4: Driver's Delight

**Chapter 4**

**"Driver's Delight"**

Keisuke dialed Kyoko's number in a frantic haste. "Crap! I hope she won't be mad…" Keisuke said.

"Good morning."

"Hello? Kyoko!"

"Keisuke… I expected you to call last night…"

"I'm sorry but… I'll take you to the best date of your life, today!"

She smiled and said, "I thought you would say that."

"I'll pick you up there at Saitama."

"But Keisuke…"

"I know… My car, right? Don't worry!"

"OMG, don't tell me…"

"Sure, I won't, I'll be there by 9, ok?"

"I love you."

"…"

"Kyoko, are you still there?"

"…"

"Hello…"

"I love you too!"

Keisuke smiled and could barely move, they both can't move. Keisuke's right, this may be the best date of their lives.

* * *

"Hi, Ryosuke! Good morning!" Fuhimiro greeted,

"Hello." Ryosuke answered.

"About last night, things are looking up for us, and by the way, what do you think of our next destination?"

"Hakone? I've got a bad feel about it." Ryosuke said.

"Why?" Fuhimiro replied.

"Lots of crashes and you can barely tell uphill from downhill."

"Then you like it then."

"Of course. What team would we be challenging?"

"That's what we don't know."

"Let's go there. It's near the Metropolis, so I'm feeling an intense vibe. I'll bring my FC."

"Ok."

* * *

"Sakamoto, nice race again last night." Nobuhiko said.

"Better meal last night." Sakamoto joked.

"By the way, where are we going anyway?" Sakamoto added.

"You idiot, why did you sleep then? Anyway, we're going to Usui, up against a team called Impact Blue. A rather rare team."

"Why?"

"They're roses among thorns."

"In understandable language please."

"Hmph. Just wait. We're here already."

"I'll be looking for the leader, I'll be at the restaurant."

"Ok. I'll be at the course then."

Nobuhiko exited the car and walked into the restaurant. While Sakamoto stayed at the Cappuccino and entered the downhill course.

* * *

"Keisuke! Hi!" Kyoko said in glee and hugged Keisuke.

"Hi, I missed you… So… Are you ready?" Keisuke asked.

"Ever since I met you." Kyoko said.

Keisuke conveniently parked the reborn FD in a good place to surprise Kyoko.

"Hey, I've got a surprise for you…" Keisuke said with a grin on his face.

"I love surprises! What is it?" Kyoko seemed excited.

Keisuke grabbed Kyoko's hand and they walked to the RX-7.

"OMG."

"Yeah! What a great course!" Sakamoto said while taking the fast turns of Usui.

_Vroom!_

Sakamoto's concentration suddenly turned on the other car.

"_Good. A challenge."_

_

* * *

_

"We're almost there, considering you took the trip real fast." Fuhimiro said.

"Sorry. I'm just chasing the vibe. I haven't felt this way since before Project D was formed." Ryosuke.

"A right and we'll be entering the highway. Do you want to go sightseeing?"

"Maybe, after we scout the place first."

"Sure. Whatever you say."

* * *

"It sure is good to take a break from racing." Takumi whispered to himself after opening the window of his 86. I'm sure it is, when you're thinking of breaking the limit every minute.

He turned off the weary car and exited it.

"Hi, dad."

"Oh, hi. You're home already?" Bunta said after taking off the cigarette from his lips.

"Yeah. They gave a week off."

"Too bad you arrived too late, son. I have to leave for a while. I'll be back in 30 minutes or so."

"Sure, dad. Thanks for your time."

"See you later."

The legend exited the home and drove off in his WRX.

* * *

"Do you remember that I was going to give you the ride of your life?" Keisuke said to Kyoko.

"Yeah."

_Vroom! _Without a moment's hesitation, he rode off and she was surprised.

"What are you doing! Are you nuts?"

"Just following orders." He smiled and

"Woooohoooo!" Keisuke and Kyoko seemed to have fun, like a wild roller coaster without breaks.

He was probably breaking the downhill limit, but not enough to beat a… certain someone.

As the white RX-7 entered the highway, a green FD with a muffler in the middle speeded down the highway.

"Buckle up. Here we go." Ryosuke declared in a heartbeat.

"Huh?"

He sped up trying to keep up with the FD.

"_He's fast, but not fast enough." _Ryosuke thought.

A sharp left was coming next.

Ryosuke turned and eased the throttle while the opponent seemed to go slower.

He was taking the lead! In a highway! And for a split second, the driver in the FD saw Ryosuke but the next he saw of him was in his front.

"_Too easy." _He said while dodging traffic.

"The next exit is to the right. My friend's near there." Fuhimiro seemed shook from the wild run.

"_I'll be back anyway."_

He exited with a lingering thought of his mind, that this was the metropolitan, there are bound to be more good racers.

End of Chapter 4

* * *


	5. Chapter 5: Don't Stop

All-Stars

Chapter 5

"Don't Stop" 

_Noon._

"Keisuke, you know what?"

"What?"

"I've never felt you so… warm… as before…"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean… That you've always been so cold… You were always so serious."

"Don't worry. I know… That Project D has been pushing me to the limit, but… On that cold night in Saitama, what kept me going was… you. On that collision on Tsuchisaka, you kept me going too…"

"You know what Keisuke…"

Kyoko held Keisuke's hand and he blushed.

"Every time you did leave or I would be there, I'd always say to myself, that I'd never leave you."

Keisuke was silent.

It was amazing, a tear dropped from one of the toughest racers in Japan.

"Come on. Let's go for a swim."

* * *

"Hello? Anybody here?" Fuhimiro said as he entered the door of a tuning garage.

"Fuhimiro! You're here!" A guy with a moustache said as he shook Fuhimiro's hand.

"It's been a while!" Fuhimiro exclaimed.

"Indeed. And… who would this guy be?"

"Ryosuke Takahashi, sir. Nice to meet you." Ryosuke said.

"I haven't introduced you two. This is Ryosuke Takahashi; I've worked with him and his team for almost a year. This is Kazuhiko Yamamoto; he taught me everything I know." Fuhimiro said.

A guy with a dark complexion entered the door and said to Yamamoto, "Hey! YM! The guy who overtook me is outside your garage!"

"Here he is." Yamamoto said then looked at Ryosuke.

"So here's the new kid on the block… I'm Oki, nice to meet you."

"Ryosuke Takahashi." Ryosuke said.

"Hey, YM, I brought in my car into your garage, let me borrow some parts, ok?" Oki said.

"Sure, I'll be there in a sec." The tuner replied to the driver.

"So… What brings you two to the metropolitan?" YM asked.

"We're interested in a course called, Hakone. Well, we've been conquering every mountain in Japan, and Hakone's one we haven't touched yet." Fuhimiro said.

"Take a seat." YM said.

The two took a seat.

"How much horsepower does your car have?" YM asked.

"About 350." Ryosuke replied.

"You need more than that. The Hakone guys go have at least 600."

"Damn." Ryosuke seemed shocked.

"Why?" Ryosuke continued.

"This is the metropolis, tuner central. However, this'll be Fuhimiro's graduation…" YM seemed to have a plan, a big one.

"Huh?"

* * *

"Damn. I was left. If it wasn't impromptu, I wouldn't have lost, but… A loss is a loss." Sakamoto maturely said.

He exited his Cappuccino and saw a blue Nissan Sil-80.

"Nice car. Nice body kits"

As Sakamoto approached the back of the car, "What the?"

He laughed as he saw the strange spoiler.

"What are you laughing at?" A beautiful lady said as she exited the car.

"Huh-wha? Oh, I'm sorry. Is this you're car?" Sakamoto asked.

"Of course it is! Why would you think I asked you? This car can beat you to a pulp."

"It did."

"Huh? We're you the one on the course?"

"Yup. My name's Sakamoto, nice to meet you."

"I'm Sayuki. Nice car, do you fit there?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"It's a little, small… Isn't it?"

"Well, nice car too, but with the wing, it looks like…"

"What?"

"The batmobile." He chuckled.

"What? It's a lightweight, aerodynamic C-West spoiler!" She said in a mad, but cute face.

"Sure. Whatever." He said still chuckling.

"I bet, I can beat you in this car, anytime!"

"Ok. What's the bet?" He seemed interested.

"If I win, you'll buy a batman suit, and scream 'Batman' in front of a crowd."

"Ok. If I win, you'll go out with me on a date."

"You wish. You'll never win."

"We'll see." He said with a smile and a hint of blushing.

It seemed childish but Sakamoto offered his pinky instead of a handshake.

Sayuki blushed but got to her senses and did the 'pinkyshake'.

* * *

Takumi drove the 86 through his hometown with a lingering thought in his mind, _"Why is it, that every time I drive my Trueno, I remember Natsuki."_

He'd probably be restless for the week off if he couldn't find her. It'll be the beginning of a search.

"I won't let you get out of the metropolis if you don't win against either three of the metropolitan." Yamamoto said to the tuner and racer.

"And who would those two be?" Ryosuke seemed interested.

"Tatsuya Shima, _the Blackbird _or Akio Asakura, _the Devil Z or _Reina Akikawa and her GT-R."

"There's a catch." Ryosuke bluntly said.

"Yup. Since they are the best, you need to catch their attention. Beat the second tier, which runs on a daily basis and you'll be catching their eyes." Yamamoto informed.

**End of Chapter 5**


	6. Chapter 6: Fading Autumn

Chapter 6

"Fading Autumn" 

As Takumi looked all through out Akina, he finally decided to stop at the gas station, ironically, he didn't ask his friends first.

As he parked at the gas station… "Natsuki?"

She looked like her… but as he took little steps towards her…

Slap! 

"Ouch! Why did you do that?" Takumi was confused why someone she just met would, out of nowhere, slap him.

"Keichiro! You forgot we were supposed to meet today!" The angry girl exclaimed.

"Are you nuts? My name's not Keichiro!" Takumi replied in a fluster.

A black limousine approached the gas station and the girl said, "Darn! They found me!"

A man exited the car and looked… like Takumi!

She looked at Takumi and looked away blushing and murmured to herself, "That idiot! Not only did he bring my manager but he also made me look like a fool! Grr!"

In embarrassment, she bowed and apologized and ran towards the limousine pushed Keichiro inside and the limousine just drove away.

Takumi was still left clueless and confused.

"Who was that?" Someone asked from behind.

"Oh. Hi Iketani! It's you. I don't know why, but that girl slapped me with absolutely no reason!" He replied to Iketani.

"Hi guys. I couldn't stop to overhear about that girl… The Japan Grand Tennis Championships just ended, right?"

"I'm not fond of tennis, Kenji." Iketani replied.

He just chuckled and said, "Well… That girl must have taken her stress out on you, she's Kilara Azotome, won second place in the tourney."

"If she won second place, why would she be stressed about it?" Takumi replied.

"No one knows. Anyway, Takumi, why did you come back to Akina?" Iketani asked.

"Oh. Project D is taking a break and I don't know what the others were doing. And of course, I wanted to drop by and check on you guys." Takumi said.

"By the way, have you seen Itsuki? We never saw him ever since of his dilemma with Kazumi." Iketani asked.

"No. But I'm sure he's okay. By the way, have you seen Natsuki?" Takumi said.

"We saw her entering a WRX STI with a sticker with 'YM Speed' on it, then we never saw the car again." Kenji said.

Takumi kept silent…

"Oh, thanks. I just… remembered… I need to do some deliveries… Thanks, guys!" Takumi said while entering his 86.

"Sure, anytime, Takumi." Iketani said while waving goodbye then the Trueno drove off.

"What's his problem?" Kenji seemed curious.

"It's about Natsuki, I guess. He's worrying that what happened when she was about to get kidnapped may happen again." Iketani seemed to be right.

"How did you know that?" Kenji asked.

"Experiences." He said with a smile on his face.

"Don't tell me…" Kenji seemed to know what the 'experiences' where.

"Yup. I'm seeing her again…"

* * *

_Ring!_

"Hello. Mako here."

"_Hi, Mako. It's me Sayuki."_

"Oh, hi!"

"_So… how was your date?"_

"It was so fun! He is so adorable!"

"_Sounds good! I didn't think he didn't have the guts to even ask you out! Tell me more!"_

"Just wait a little, Sayuki. I'm heading home anyway. By the way, did you find our opponents for tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately, no. Sorry…" 

"It's ok. Well, see you later Sayuki!"

"_Sure! Tell me about your date later! Bye!"_

"Ok. Bye!"

_Beep._

_

* * *

_

She looked at the bouquet of roses by her and looked at the wonderful sunset and remembered him as the autumn leaves fell gently on the road.

"I definitely can't tune my car to above 600 in a week or so. Perhaps we should borrow one instead." Ryosuke asked Yamamoto.

"Maybe. You can use one of our project cars in the garage, come here and take a look." Yamamoto replied.

The three entered the garage and Yamamoto introduced his self-esteemed cars. "You've got the ER33 Skyline, we removed the excessive grip and tuned it to a drifting machine. Here's another drifter, the MR2. Both cars are still around 450 and believe me, son, you can't tune a car so fast in a week… Unless, of course, you have the funds."

"I think I can somehow arrange that. But, can you tune rotaries?" Ryosuke asked.

"Not my forte, kid. I have a friend though that's got the Midas hand with rotaries." Yamamoto said.

"I know that guy. He's Uncle Ota, right?" Fuhimiro said.

"Right. He may be willing to tune your car. Just tell him what you're planning to do." Yamamoto said.

"That's good. It's not my car though."

"Hey, Nobuhiko. Did you find them?" Sakamoto asked.

Nobuhiko was silent looking out at the mountain view.

Sakamoto snapped his fingers saying, "Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah. I am. And no, I didn't find them." Nobuhiko finally replied.

"Well, in other news, I saw a pretty chic racing down the mountains." Sakamoto said.

"Was she driving a blue Sil80?" Nobuhiko asked.

"Umm… I think so…" Sakamoto replied.

He grinned and said, "That's her."

"What! That's so stupid of me! Well, no matter. We're just a call away and we could start tonight."

"Akiyama hasn't practiced yet."

"Where is he anyway?"

* * *

"Hey… Kazumi…" 

"What is it, bro?"

Wataru asked, "Do you remember that guy from Akina?"

She was silent but decided to reply honestly, "Itsuki…"

It hit her with a striking pierce.

"Oh, by the way. When is your boyfriend coming here? I just fixed up his car."

"Speaking of cars, don't you have a race today? You have to practice…"

"I thought of a different way to train myself instead of normally running the course. Anyway, feel free to go anywhere. Just call. I'll be back at maybe… 4 am or so."

"Sure, bro. Good luck and take care."

And with that, the second race will start.

* * *

_Project Drift._

These words were written on the back mirror of the MR2 project car.

"_I've never driven a car like this in a while."_ Ryosuke said as he ran the new belt line at a looming 280 km/h.

Vroom! 

He looked at his rear view mirror and saw a challenge. It was a white Lancer Evolution VI. He looked at the list Yamamoto prepared and he read:

Third Tier 

_MakiKamiya, Evo VI._

The white car flashed his lights and seemed to want a race. A certain location in the navigation map seemed to call him,

**_C1._**

**End of Chapter 6.**

**Happy Holidays to you all! **


	7. Chapter 7: Twists and Turns

Chapter 7

"Twists and turns"

"I wonder how she is…" That single lingering thought brought her to Natsuki's place, where she's always alone, every time she goes home.

"_Thanks for the date, Takumi! I loved it!"_

"_Ah, don't mention it; it's like just hanging out with the guys, well except the others, of course."_

"_Darn, I forgot my key!"_

"_Do you even really forget it?"_

"_What do you think? I'm not that stupid!"_

"_Yeah, you aren't that stupid. You remembered to put it under the mat."_

"_Shut up and stop teasing, I have it."_

* * *

Takumi slowly flipped over the mat and took the key and unlocked the door, leading inside… and inside Natuski as well. 

"Your friend's out on the highway tonight." Yamamoto bluntly said.

"Yeah, Ryosuke's out tonight. Why?" He seemed curious.

Out of the ordinary, he said, "Get some tea ready."

"Huh?" Fuhimiro suddenly became confused.

"Today's Friday the 13th." He replied with a grin.

"You're not superstitious."

The veteran tuner quickly brought the point, "Today's when the Blackbird strikes hardest. Nobody has beaten him on this day, his day. Not even the Z and R."

* * *

"Okay, listen up. They'll be racing in one car on both races, and they'll be together in both races. Wataru's first, Sakamoto's second. Sudden death, stay sharp." Nobuhiko explained. 

"Great, let's saddle up fast and go! I still have agendas!" Sakamoto arrogantly said.

"Come here." Nobuhiko commanded.

Sakamoto approached opened his door and listened to the 'wisdom' Nobuhiko may give.

"I've been watching Wataru; he's stepping up as our top gun." Nobuhiko seemed to taunt Sakamoto.

"So?"

"Be serious!" Nobuhiko exclaimed then continued, "If one of you doesn't keep up with each other, we'll fall apart. Have you even thought of a strategy?"

"Yeah, the light weight play and shadow for an emergency." He replied calmly despite the tension.

He left this lingering thought, "Good. Remember the rain."

"…"

* * *

"Poor Itsuki, I wonder where he is." 

"Well, Kenji, he's probably still moping, after all, he put so much faith on her."

"Nah, you know that idiot. Gets hit by a truck, he'll laugh it off in seconds."

Kenji and Iketani giggled at the joke then suddenly, a black Mercedes stopped over, probably for gas.

A rather statuesque man exited the car and you'll be surprised when he said,

"Hi, guys!" The man greeted.

While Iketani was tending the Mercedes, Kenji looked left, right, back and said "Who? Me?"

The guy laughed in a strange yet familiar way, "Heh hehe heh hehe"

With that Kenji realized it was…"

* * *

"_The 'lesser' Kamiya brother, third tier. Let's end this quick."_ Ryosuke thought confidently. 

As they neared one of the most difficult places in C1, Ryosuke was confused when he saw the white Evo suddenly back out.

He suddenly felt an intense chill and a racing heartbeat, since in a second; the legend appeared in his rear view mirror.

Ryosuke fought back by turning up his pace, and preparing for the upcoming chicane.

The driver seemed to be impressed, by Ryosuke's courage, and confident in his 'futility', he expressed these in a grin. The newcomer stood his ground, rather irregular of him maybe since of an aura of fear shrouded the track.

The raven-colored car roared pacing up the pressure.

All this is happening in a matter of seconds.

Both cars ran the chicane in an inertia drift, letting their cars weight and movement do the speed reduction. They shifted down at the exit and Ryosuke still kept lead but lost about two meters of precious advantage.

The result was apparent.

* * *

Wataru opened his window and greeted the duo, "I'm Wataru Akiyama, and may the best man win." 

"It looks like we have a chauvinist opponent here. Anyway, I'm the navigator for this race, Sayuki and the driver for this race is Mako." Sayuki did all of the talking.

"Don't get me wrong, 'man' is collective. Good luck, anyway." Wataru cleverly replied.

Sayuki ended the conversation, "You too."

They shut their windows and restarted their ignitions.

"Three"

"Two"

"One"

"GO!"

* * *

"ITSUKI? IS THAT YOU?" Kenji was absolutely surprised, who wouldn't be? It was absolutely out of the ordinary, beyond that; it was like the world turned upside down! 

He had his hair cut shorter and fixed it neatly. He probably got a facial, since all the zits left on his face were gone. He wore a navy blue coat and a white polo under it, and khaki pants and suede shoes. It was a transition from the simple guy-next-door look to a metrosex socialite look.

"HehEhe! Of course, it's me! You couldn't tell it' me because of the threads!"

Iketani probably overheard it and just kept his jaw wide open in awe.

If that wasn't enough to surprise you, the driver of the car exited. It was Kilara, The guy who slapped Takumi in a misunderstanding.

She wore a sleekred dress, showing enough skin and cleavage to make any man drool. Even in this, she kept her good level of poise.

Strange things wouldn't stop happening, the surprises were too head-turning for him to handle, so he just fainted!

* * *

The next chicane was approaching, quite sharper and dangerous than the last one. 

Ryosuke knew what to do; he needed to gain more advantage, with him in one piece.

His opponent knew what to do, possibly better.

He ran the first part of the chicane the same way he did the last one.

As the tension dropped, the opposing car roared, louder that the last one. You could probably tell that he was probably pacing in the last corner.

Ryosuke flinched; he failed to concentrate on the corner, he felt the burning black flame from the raven car. He let the throttle go just to atone for the mistake.

Panic ran through his fear-stiff hands as he saw the blackPorsche 3.8RSblurring away from his view.

A mid-wall was approaching. Ryosuke did his best to maintain his concentration.

The fear hadn't totally worn off yet, he drove too close to the wall and had his left side mirror torn off.

The next corner was dangerous. It was a chicane with a mid-wall. You'd either bump the side of the road, go without a scratch or be in a perilous, high-speed accident. Either way, he lost it, it was a fact. The blackRS had 50m advantage and gaining.

He had to continue.

* * *

Wataru ran way up his par at an early part of the race. He was pressuring the two, 'informing' them of his speed by slightly bopping the car. However, the deep blue Sil80 kept blocking the way in the consecutive twist and turns of Usui. 

In the next corner, Wataru was shocked to be greeted by about 10m disadvantage. After a few corners, they'll be approaching the most advantageous part of the course for the Sil80; he needed to overtake in the next 'few corners'.

The fate would probably be…

It's now…

Or never…

End of Chapter 7

* * *

Note: 

Hi! I'm sorry for the long hiatus but here it is, at last!

Thanks for the people in the forums for the good tips and explanations as well as faithful readers (especially Arisa) and the people who have found the time to read my fic.

Thank you also to Wiseman's criticisms, I now corrected some aspects of the fic such as using the manga Blackbird (Porsche) rather than the arcade one and confusing Eiji Kamiya for Maki Kamiya.

To Wiseman, if you may recall, since his RX7 is not tuned for highway races, he temporarily.borrowed a project car from YM Speed. As for the souped-up rotaries... you guess...

Thanks again!


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